Limitless
by xXverisimilitudeXx
Summary: Maria Traydor has earned her break from all of the fighting and chose Elicoor II as her new home. She only wishes for someone to spend the rest of her life with. A visit from Sophia may grant more than Maria could ever wish. MariaxSophia. M for bad
1. Elicoor II

Chapter 1

Elicoor II

A green-eyed bluenette casually made her way out of the river and approached her clothing, haphazardly strewn about on the grass. Maria Traydor had finished bathing for the day. Now, she was ready for a peaceful nap. Before she slipped her lavender tunic on, she paused and breathed in the warm summer air. _This is much better than a few days ago_ she thought.

For the last couple of weeks, Maria and the recently dissolved anti-Federation organization Quark traveled to space stations, repairing the damage dealt by the Executioners. At first, their appearance was held in suspicion to those loyal to the Federation but they were not foolish enough to deny assistance. Constant movement from space station to space station drained her physically. Besides the physical toll the reparations took on her, there were constant meetings held, which tired her mentally. She hardly attended the meetings, though, and when she did, she would argue against any ideas to restore the Federation to what it once was. There was no point in going back. It would only cause disunity. No matter, she was done with all of the trouble. Whatever they chose to do, it would have to be for the good of the people. After as much help she could provide was given, Maria bid her farewells. Cliff, Mirage, and Marietta were reluctant to let her go but they understood that they had to. After all, they knew what their leader had been through. Maria, eager to start anew, chose Elicoor II, mainly because she knew the lay of the land and her redheaded friend resided in Aquios, the capital city of the theocracy of Aquaria.

Although Maria gave her farewells to her crew, she never gave them to Fayt and Sophia. They had left with Sophia's parents and Fayt's mother to who knows where. _Probably in the next solar system…together. _A chill ran down her spine and settled in her heart. She shivered despite the heat of the summer. _Don't be stupid, Maria, they're not together. Still…they do spend a lot of time with each other. They're always near each other, even when we were fighting the Executioners. Why did he always have to be there?_ "Ughh," she said aloud, "stupid Fayt." She opened her eyes and remained silently fuming while she dressed.

She hated the way they stared at each other. She hated how they smiled at each other. But most of all she hated how she couldn't tell Sophia her feelings. She knew that Sophia couldn't return them. She sighed, shoulders drooping. _I'd only get rejected. That's it. _A wave of pain hit her heart at this sobering thought. It still hurt to know that her love couldn't be returned. Her hope, that someday Sophia could return her feelings, shattered when she witnessed Fayt kneeling in front of Sophia and proclaiming that he was her knight and she, his princess.

"Stupid Fayt," she repeated and proceeded to walk away from the river. Already too upset over Fayt, she decided that it would be impossible to get some rest and headed towards the northern gate of Peterny. She had travelled this route so often since her arrival on Elicoor II that she didn't need to focus on where she was going. Rather, she let her subconscious propel her towards the town. Meanwhile, her thoughts drifted away from Fayt and settled on Sophia. Her feelings for her had never faded or been questioned. She knew without a doubt that she loved Sophia with all the purest love anyone could ever produce for another. Ever since they first met, Maria had become transfixed and awed by her soft brown hair, her gentle azure eyes, and her gentle character. An involuntary blush stung her cheeks but Maria took no notice of it. _Oh what I would give to see her again_. She sighed. It had become an inevitable and frequent reaction whenever she thought of Sophia. _All I can do is wish now. _

By the loud shouts and footfalls, Maria discerned that she was inside of Peterny and returned to her thoughts of Sophia. _Well seeing her wouldn't be bad. I could ask Cliff where she- _"Oof!" Maria had collided into a woman and staggered backwards. She raised her head until the woman came into full view. There in front of her was Sophia. Maria was too stunned to speak. She just stood there gaping and wide-eyed. A deep blush threatened to make her pass out.

"Maria? Is that you?!?," the brunette inquired.

"It is you Maria! I finally found you!!" Sophia ran up to the stunned woman and threw her arms around her. As soon as Sophia made contact, a shock coursed through her veins and made her heart start beating rapidly. Her face turned a ghastly shade of red that was almost purple. Sophia released the embrace when she realized that Maria wasn't hugging her back. The shock from the sudden appearance of her beloved froze her limbs, rendering her immobile. Sophia grasped Maria's shoulders and pushed her back so she could see her face.

"Are you OK, Maria? How come you're not hugging me back?" She pouted.

"Oh…sorry…I d-eh?" Before Maria could finish, Sophia jumped on her again. Maria staggered but she quickly recovered and wrapped her own arms around Sophia.

"I missed you Maria," Sophia murmured and rested her head on Maria's shoulder.

"I-I missed you too, Sophia," Maria whispered back, finally managing to regain her voice, "So much." _So much_. She finally had Sophia here and in her arms. After weeks of thinking about and aching for nothing but the woman before her, she was here. She gave Sophia's soft body a slight squeeze and leaned her head against Sophia's, trying to reveal an inkling of her love for her. The embrace warmed Maria to the core making her heart melt and turn into a puddle at her feet. Nothing mattered except the woman in her arms. The embrace lasted for a full minute until they loosened their grips on each other.

"Er…how? When…?" She hoped Sophia would understand her question.

Sophia giggled. "I think you're asking how I got here and when."

Maria nodded in assent.

"OK, well I wanted to see you. I searched everywhere for Cliff and even made him take me here. I got here yesterday. I was so tired yesterday that I wasn't able to look for you. So here we are today." She ended her little speech with a giggle, which made Maria blush all the harder and look away, trying to conceal her red face with her hair.

_ She came for me. To see _me!! She stifled an overjoyed giggle and tried to compose herself. _I have to be rational. No sense in thinking that it's possible between us. _

Sophia's bright blue eyes were full of glee while witnessing Maria have one of her "thinking moments.""So Maria, are you done yet?" At this comment, she gave Maria a coy smile.

"Ahh…," her face turned a deeper shade of red, "yes." _Relax. _

"Well then, let's go," Sophia stated simply and swiftly grabbed Maria's arm before she could say anything, leading her around Peterny's central market. Maria couldn't fathom where Sophia was leading her. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be led. She dropped into a haze; overwhelmed by the fact Sophia was holding her hand. Her heart thundered in her chest each time Sophia's arm nudged into hers. Each second increased the tingle that Sophia's hand shot through her heart.

"OK Maria, we're here," Sophia softly said.

Maria opened her eyes and her heart plummeted. An icy chill drained the warmth from her limbs.

Fayt stood there and casually smiled.


	2. Decisions

A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long. I was so busy with homework and lacrosse AND I had a writer's block. Not a good combination indeed. This chapter will be longer to make up for it.

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"OK Maria, we're here," Sophia softly said.

Maria opened her eyes and her heart plummeted. An icy chill drained the warmth from her limbs.

Fayt stood there and casually smiled.

**Chapter 2**

**Decisions**

"Hey Maria," Fayt greeted and laughed merrily, "Long time no see!" He approached Sophia and Maria, who was still recovering from the shock. "Hey are you OK?" he asked when he saw her face.

Maria turned her head away. "It's n-nothing," she replied and forced a small smile, "just feeling dizzy." It was the truth, for a reason Fayt would never guess.

"Ah ok…er how have you been?"

_Just peachy since you came along, Fayt. You deserve a reward for being the best person at disappointing people. _"Good, Elicoor's nice…among other things." At this, she glanced at Sophia and gave her a smile. Sophia grinned in return, but her grin didn't have the same effect as it did before Fayt showed up. Maria's knees were still stable and her heart was slower than before. As if Fayt's presence gave Maria more drive for Sophia.

_I won't give Sophia up. I can't. Not to this guy. _"So where are you guys staying?"

"We-," they both said in unison and giggled, which annoyed Maria to no end.

"Go on," Fayt told Sophia.

"We're staying in Aquios," Sophia stated.

"That far? When are you headed back? Soon?" Maria replied with a little more energy than she intended.

"Oh," Sophia said, face drooping, "um…no we were planning on staying with you for a couple of days."

_Ah hell no_. _A couple of days? _Maria glanced at Fayt and noticed a bag strapped to his back that she didn't see before, which was obviously carrying their clothes. _Damn._

"A-actually instead of that, how about we go to Aquios together? I was coming into town today to get some supplies," she lied, "I was about to head to Aquios anyway." Sophia's face immediately lit up, which put a smile on Maria's face.

"Well then, let's go and buy some supplies," Fayt said, completely unaware that Maria was speaking only to Sophia.

They headed off towards the town outfitter and market, buying a day longs provisions for their journey Aquios. They took their time shopping for each necessity, picking out the highest quality they could find. Fayt was kind enough to purchase all of the supplies, using the always universal currency Fol. They separated the supplies evenly and packaged them with the paper, cloth, and bags they requested from the shop owners. After shopping, they went to a small restaurant. None of them had eaten since the morning and their stomachs were begging for food. Once they were full, Maria led them to her house, purposely avoiding the Peterny Inn because she didn't want them getting any ideas about staying there. Fayt staying at Maria's house was one thing, but having Sophia stay with Fayt at the Inn was more than she could bear. At least this way Maria would be able to see Sophia and keep both eyes on Fayt. The sun was already setting by the time they started towards Maria's house.

Once they arrived at Maria's house, Sophia gasped. "It's beautiful, Maria!" she exclaimed.

Maria's house, situated at the top of a small hill overlooking an expansive, sapphire lake, was huge. It was built by the Queen's royal carpenters, as a gift in return for everything Maria did for them, much to Maria's reluctance. The miniature castle was made of the same sparkling light green and silver stone as the Queen's castle, complete with several Corinthian-like columns around the entrance and a towering cupola in its center.

"You like it?" Maria said, chuckling.

"I love it!!" Sophia shouted with all of her childish enthusiasm.

"It's really nice, Maria," Fayt complemented.

Maria developed a permanent grin on her face and kept it on throughout the remainder of their trek home. Maria led them through the tall, oak double doors, up to the second floor, and into a hallway with seven doors, all closed. There were three on each side and one at the far end of the hallway.

"Here's my study," Maria said, pointing to the first door on the left. "Here's your bedroom Fayt"-she pointed quickly to the first door on the right- "Here are the two bathrooms" – she pointed to the second doors on the left and right- "Here's my tech room, with all the stuff from the Diplo" – the third door on the left- "my room"- the door farthest in- "and finally, your room, Sophia" – she spread her arms with a flourish towards the third door on the right. Neither of them seemed to notice the slight difference in treatment between Sophia and Fayt.

Fayt walked to his room and stopped in the doorway. "Well I'm off to sleep. Night Maria," he was about to walk in, grimaced, stopped, and faced Sophia, "Sophia could we talk for a sec?"

"Sure Fayt" she happily replied.

They entered Fayt's room and left Maria alone in the hallway. The hallway was a lot colder to Maria without Sophia there. _No not again. _She sighed. _I should just go to bed. _She walked into her room and dropped herself on her bed. She lay on her back, spread eagle. _I wonder what they're talking about. By that look on Fayt's face it has to be serious…but why just talk to Sophia? They must really be…_she closed her eyes to fight back tears. _Not yet. I can't give up yet. _She kept her eyes closed and forced herself to sleep. She needed the rest for tomorrow. But sleep was a long time coming.

* * *

The next morning, Maria awoke at Sophia's incessant nudging. "Come on Maria. Time to go!"

"Mmmm…not yet," Maria mumbled.

"Come on Maria! You got to get up. We have to be there before nightfall."

Maria pretended to get up then immediately flopped down on the bed when she noticed Sophia's look of relief.

"Mar-" Before she could finish, Maria pounced on Sophia and prevented her from getting up. Sophia was too stunned to speak again and didn't bother getting up. She just smiled and wrapped her arms around Maria. Maria gazed at Sophia, taking in the moment and every feature on her beloved's face. She finally had her.

"Sophia," she whispered.

"Hm?"

"I have something to tell you."

"I know. But you don't have to say anything. I already know."

A jolt coursed through Maria. "You do? But how? How do you f-?" Sophia put a finger up to Maria's lips.

"You make it really obvious…" She leaned towards Maria's face, which was burning red. "I want you to know how I feel, Maria." She inched closer, maintaining eye contact with Maria, until their noses met and their lips were a centimeter apart. She closed her eyes and ki-

"Maria! Time to start packing!" Sophia shouted from down the hall. Maria snapped her eyes open. _Just a dream…_ She sighed heavily and painfully got herself out of bed.

They spent the morning eating and packing for their trip to Aquios. It had been a while since any of them had travelled by road. From the countless times traversing to Aquios they knew they had to pack light for the actual trip. They planned to stay for 3 days and packed the necessary clothes.

Once ready, the trio marched towards Peterny and shifted north towards Aquios. After they emerged from Peterny's north gate, the journey was completely uneventful. Maria remained silent, brooding over the dream she had that morning. Fayt was unusually quiet, focusing on his own thoughts, and occasionally speaking to Sophia. Their dispositions spoiled any attempt Sophia made at conversation so she focused on trudging through the expansive grasslands of Aquaria. Two hours later, they rested underneath a giant oak. They unpacked a small meal and ate silently. Sophia's gaze shifted between Fayt and Maria constantly. She chose not to inquire about their conditions and remained silent. When they finished, they rose and walked towards the small patch of forest before Aquios. When they were halfway through the forest, Sophia heard shuffling in the trees. She stopped and glanced behind her. She turned around. "Did you guys-?" She stopped when she realized that they were listening intently to their surroundings. They had heard it too. Everything was still except for their soft breathing. They listened for a full five minutes before continuing. Then a shuffle, this time farther back. Fayt whipped around. He paled.

"What is it?" Maria asked.

"N-nothing. Just thought I saw something." He looked as white as a sheet.

They finally emerged from the forest and saw the towering outer walls of Aquios. Sophia grinned. "We made it," she shouted. The trio advanced across the Moonlit Bridge and through the interior walls of the city. They were welcomed by all-too-familiar people.

Nel and Clair wore broad grins on their faces and immediately rushed to embrace them.

Maria gave them a curious stare. "How'd you know we were coming? Wait…never mind." The answer was obvious. Nel and Clair were both agents of Aquaria; they probably had connections in Peterny that informed them of their arrival.

"It's been such a long time that we've seen any of you," Nel said, eyes shining, then she grinned, "and Maria, we thought we'd see you more often since you live so close. Was someone else plaguing your mind?"

"WHAT?!?" Maria's face burnt a deep purple. "wh-n-no…you…gahh." Her vocabulary was limited to grunts and unintelligible words while she bored a hole into Nel with her stare. Everyone laughed, even Fayt, at Maria's fierce reaction, making Maria blush all the deeper. When the laughter subsided, Clair spoke up, facing Maria.

"We can't expect you to stay in the Inn. Your old room is still available in the castle. You can drop your things off there."

The group entered Castle Aquaria. Surprised greetings welcomed Fayt, Maria, and Sophia inside of the castle. Everyone they passed greeted them with much praise and respect, from runologists and pages to soldiers and librarians. The deeds that the earthlings were never forgotten by Elicoor's people. When they reached their rooms, they split up, each heading for their individual rooms with Nel and Clair following Maria.

"What's going on Maria?" Clair playfully asked over Maria's shoulder when they were inside of Maria's room.

Maria gritted her teeth and closed the door. She turned to face them. "I…need help."

Clair playfulness abated and she and Nel became attentive, eyes concerned.

Maria sighed, a thing that she noticed that she did a lot lately. "It's Sophia. I think she and Fayt are together."

Then she trembled and collapsed. Long suppressed tears were bursting from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. Nel and Clair rushed to comfort her, wrapping their arms around her. Maria sobbed into Nel's shoulder, holding on to both women.

"I don't know what to do," she sobbed.

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The next chapter will be M rated and its coming soon. ^^


	3. Preparations

A/N: It seems that I failed to make this chapter M rated like I said I would. It's difficult building up to it and making it sound right. I'm very picky with my writing and if I don't like it I erase the whole thing. That's why it takes me so long to write. Sowwie Dx

Anyway here goes...

* * *

Maria sighed, a thing that she noticed she did a lot lately. "It's Sophia. I think she and Fayt are together."

Then she trembled and collapsed. Long suppressed tears were bursting from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. Nel and Clair rushed to comfort her, wrapping their arms around her. Maria sobbed into Nel's shoulder, holding on to both women.

"I don't know what to do," she sobbed.

**Chapter 3**

**Preparations**

Following Fayt into his room, Sophia couldn't help but think about Fayt and Maria's conditions. They were both quiet and distracted, although Fayt was a tad paler. _Both of my loved ones are troubled _she thought _I know I have to help them._

She had a hunch as to why Fayt was acting abnormal. Their conversation back at Maria's house was playing repeatedly in her mind.

"_Sophia, can I talk to you for a sec?"_

"_Sure, Fayt!"_

_They walked into his room and he wheeled around abruptly. Half whining he said, "Sophia I'm scared. I just can't face him. He might take it the wrong way. I don't think I could bear it if I scared him away! What the hell can I do?" He tore at his hair in frustration and began pacing around his spacious room. _

_Sophia sat on the bed and said soothingly, "Fayt, calm down. I know this is confusing you. But you can't give up when you haven't tried." At first, Sophia thought that her words would have no effect on Fayt as he was still tearing at his hair, but his rapid breathing slowed and he took a deep breath. _

"_I know, Sophia," he whispered, now calm, and walked to the bed to sit. "What should I do?"_

_Sophia contemplated several possibilities, remaining silent when she couldn't find one that didn't hurt Fayt the least. "I know Albel won't kill you if you told him."_

_Fayt grunted. "Yeah but telling him would make me wish he did."_

"_Mmh…how about after we go to Aquios, you go to Airyglyph and tell him? Going to Aquios with Maria and seeing Nel and Clair again should do you some good. We can even tell them about it."_

"_No! We can't tell them. No one should know I like men."_

"_But what if Albel says yes? Everyone would know anyway," she retorted, "There's nothing wrong with a man loving another man! As long as you love him then it's…" She searched for a word but couldn't find the right one. She let the unfinished sentence hang in the air. _

"_It's what?"_

"_Fine, perfect, normal….I don't know. But it's not wrong. I don't care what you think. I refuse to think of you as wrong or think of myself that way either!"_

_Fayt looked at the floor, silent. Then after a while, "You're right, Sophia. You're right."_

_Sophia smiled. "That's good to know." And she gently punched him on the arm._

_Now it was Fayt's turn to smile. "Thank you."_

"_That's what friends are for."_

Sophia knew that the only thing that could make Fayt act like that was Albel. _He must have seen him in the forest. So that means…Albel is in Aquios. But why?_

She was in Fayt's room and sat on his bed. Fayt was sitting in the chair by the table. Fayt, pale and sitting perfectly straight, was staring at the floor.

"Fayt…you have to find him," Sophia stated.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I didn't think he would be here. When I looked at him back in the forest, he looked at me like…like he wanted to see me…" Then he looked at her and smiled wanly. "I just need some courage right now."

Sophia grinned. "Go get him tiger. There's no way he can resist your charms."

Fayt's cheeks flushed and he laughed. "I'll do just that."

Before he walked out the door he said, grinning, "There's no way she can resist your charms either, Sophia," and left a blushing Sophia in his room.

* * *

"There, there Maria," Clair soothed as she stroked Maria's back. Maria had been crying for only a minute as she tried to control herself.

"I'm sorry," she wiped her eyes, "It just burst out."

"Sure did," Nel said frankly, offering Maria a smile.

"Well, tell us what happened," Clair told Maria.

Maria was still on the floor, leaning against Nel and she shifted her position so she could see both of them better. "I….well…they came yesterday, to Peterny, and I just ran into Sophia. You guys know how I felt when that happened. But Fayt…ughh…he's _always_ there. I just get so uneasy when he's with her. And when we got back to my house, they talked in _his_ room and-"

"Shh," Nel said and put her hand over Maria's mouth, "Maria, has it ever occurred to you that you may be overreacting and assuming too much?" Nel and Clair were looking at her with sparkling eyes and wry smiles on their faces.

Maria kept glancing back and forth between them. "What do you mean?" she asked when Nel and Clair didn't explain any further.

Nel leaned against the wall and spoke, "We mean that Fayt has no interest in Sophia. He is her friend and nothing more than that. You're going crazy for absolutely nothing."

Maria was completely baffled. Her mouth hung open and she made no effort to close it. "H-how do u know?" she stuttered.

Clair grinned. "We have our ways."

Maria decided not to press for more information. The fact that Fayt had no interest in Sophia elated Maria. She felt her mouth form a grin and felt an energy that wasn't there before. her heart fluttered soared like a bird. She didn't doubt what Nel and Clair told her, they were the most trustworthy of people she ever met. _But now what do I do? _

Clair unknowingly answered her thoughts, "You have to go out somewhere with her. Alone."

"WHAT!?!?! But….what if I mess up?" Maria eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.

"The fact is you won't mess up," Nel answered calmly, "Don't over think this and don't let your chance pass. Who knows when you will get to see Sophia again?"

Maria swallowed this and she relaxed, the visible tension in her muscles easing. She closed her eyes. _She's right. Who knows when I'll get to see her again. I don't think I'll be able to take her leaving and not coming back. _She sighed at the thought and made up her mind. When she opened her eyes, the uneasiness faded from them and solid determination replaced it.

"But where do we go?" Maria asked.

Clair squealed, raising her hands to either side of her face, and Nel grinned. "Hmm…," the redhead replied, "you could…..um…" She gave Maria a blank stare, at a loss of an answer. Clair giggled at her response.

"Yeah, Aquios is pretty boring," Maria said, laughing. "I don't think that the church can provide any help. She might throw a bible at me. I could just take her for a walk. The scenery is nice."

Clair brought a finger to her bottom lip and stared off into space, pondering the possibility. "Yes, the bible would hurt."

And they left the conversation at that, filing out of Maria's room with Maria in the lead. Before they could take two steps out of the room, Maria stumbled backwards when she realized Sophia was standing there. Her hand was raised, mid-knock, and there was a startled expression on her face.

"Oops...heh," Sophia murmured, embarrassed, rubbing her hand on the back of her head.

Maria and Sophia remained silent afterwards, sheepish expressions on their faces.

* * *

Everything I wrote after that was horrendous. Gaaahhh.....


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